1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to cases suitable for carrying or storing articles and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to cases suitable for use as folding game boards.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art.
Cases, or containers, used to carry or store articles are commonly constructed to include two hingedly connected members so that a case having such a construction can be opened, to provide free access to the interior of the case, and closed, to form an enclosure for the articles, by relative pivotation of the two sections. Common examples of such cases include the traveler's suitcase and game boards that are constructed in the form of a case so that accessories used to play the game can be stored within the game board when the board is not in use.
A problem that has long existed with prior art cases is that, for aesthetic and other reasons, a case may be called upon to incorporate in its construction criteria which conflict. The use of a case as a folding game board provides an example. Many board games are played on a flat playing surface and it is often desired, for simplicity of construction and aesthetic reasons, that interior floor panels of the two sections of the case provide such playing surface when the case is opened. Where this situation arises, a problem is presented. For the case to carry out its storage or transport function, the floor panels must have raised edges or walls that meet when the case is closed and, together, completely surround the interior of the case. This function can easily be provided by extending the wall on the floor panel of each section completely about the floor panel and hingedly connecting one side of one section to one side of the other section at the upper edges of the walls. However, this form of construction conflicts with the requirement that the playing surface be flat. The walls of the connected sides of the two sections will form a ridge that extends transversely across the center of the playing area when the case is open. Thus, unless the ridge can be incorporated into the game board as an essential element thereof; for example, as in U.S. Design Pat. No. 256,594 issued Aug. 26, 1980 to Tawil, such board being designed for the game of backgammon, the ridge is an objectionable feature to players of the game. For example, chess players would not accept a game board with a ridge extending across the center of the board because the ridge would interfere with the play of the game.
The ridge can be eliminated in various ways but the elimination of the ridge can give rise to other objections to the case. For example, the ridge can be eliminated by angling the walls of the case sections upwardly from meeting sides of the case sections and hingedly connecting the floor panels as disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. 204,277 issued Apr. 5, 1966 to Neal. While this solution is workable, it limits the flexibility of the game board designer to select features to be incorporated into the construction of his board. Similarly, the ridge can be eliminated by separating the two sections by a connecting member, or panel, which is hingedly connected to the floor panels of the two case sections and extends therebetween as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,284 issued Dec. 29, 1978 to Fuks. The problem with this solution is that gaps are left in the combined wall of the board, formed by the walls of the sections, when the board is opened and such gaps are aesthetically displeasing to many persons. While the gaps can be filled by separate inserts, as disclosed in the Fuks patent, many would consider the use of the inserts to be a bother and, in addition, the inserts might also become lost. The gaps can also be filled by inserts that are attached to the sections to move into position when the case is opened, an example of such inserts being disclosed in United Kingdom Pat. No. 1,436,493 to Fattorini et al., the specification of which was published on May 19, 1976, but such solution will often have the disadvantage of forming a prominent inhomogeneity in the wall of the board in order to provide clearance for the inserts in the walls when the case is closed.
Similar problems can arise in the construction of other types of cases; for example, in the construction of suitcases. In general, where it is desired to provide a complete wall about floor panels of a case when the case is open, while still permitting the case to be closed and, when closed, to completely surround the interior of the case, the case has, in the past, had to be constructed to either be inconvenient to the user, or to have a ridge extending across the center of the case when the case is open, or to have gaps in the wall of the case when it is opened, or to have prominent and, accordingly, aesthetically objectionable inhomogeneities in the structure of the walls of the two sections of the case.